The Unthinkable
by nannygirl
Summary: The unthinkable has happened to Henry Langston, now his loved ones are left to process it all. My take on the upcoming episode, "True Believer."
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing. I do not own Resurrection or any of it's characters. I own nothing!_

_**Author's Note: **__Hello everyone! This is the first story I've written for Resurrection, it's also the first non-That '70s Show story that I've written in a very long time, so I'm kinda nervous. It's also the first time I've written a fanfiction for a story that's still on the air! I usually wait until a series ends but after last week's episode of Resurrection and the preview for next week my mind went crazy with possibilities and ideas and so came this story! This episode does take place after the episode "Prophecy" from season 2. It's my guess and maybe even hopes of what will happen in the next episode, "True Believer." I really hope that you all enjoy it, if you have the time, please do review it! I'd love to hear your thoughts on both the show and the story. A huge thank you to my fellow Resurrection fans who gave me some incredible support when writing this story: Marla's Lost, TvFanaticDayDreamer, and kevinthebird. Be sure to check out their stories too! Thanks again for stopping by to read, I hope you like, and please, Enjoy!_

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><p>Lucille Langston couldn't help but smile as she placed the last remaining plate into the rightful cupboard.<p>

It had taken several hours but she had finally finished rearranging Margaret's rearranging and everything was back where it belonged. At least where the dishes and other kitchen utensils were concerned. In the other parts of the house, and the house itself, there was still something missing—Henry.

He still had not come back home since their fight earlier that day. Not that Lucille was expecting him to, she'd practically kicked him out and he'd willingly left. Thinking back to the argument though, she was filled with regret. The day had been a very long and very tiring day for both of them and they'd taken it out on each other. Lucille knew that she could not blame Henry completely for what happened with Jacob and Margaret but she couldn't help but wonder if he really did blame her for Jacob's death.

She was pulled away from her thoughts by the chime of the doorbell and she immediately frowned, wondering who would be out at this time of the night.

Knowing there was only one way to get her answer, Lucille walked out of the kitchen and over to the front door. On her way over there though, just as she neared the end of the staircase, she tripped over an object; luckily catching herself before she stumbled forward. Once Lucille had regained her balance she looked behind her in search of the obstacle that she had failed to notice before. Soon her eyes landed on a pair of work boots that looked like they had been dropped at the bottom of the staircase without a care in the world.

"Damn it, Henry," she cursed her absent husband.

She had told both him and Jacob to not leave their shoes lying around the house—it seemed like Jacob had been paying more attention to her than his father. Lucille was just about to pick the shoes up when the doorbell rang again, reminding her of why she'd come over here in the first place. When she reached the door she peeked out the glass window and found her brother-in-law standing on the front porch in his sheriff's uniform.

"Fred, what are you doing here?" she asked as she opened the door.

He stared silently at her for a few moments before he found his voice, "Lucille, we need to talk."

The redheaded woman looked over the man standing in front of her. He looked, not angry, but upset, almost emotional. There was only one person who Lucille could connect those emotions being brought out in a person to.

Lucille shook her head, "If it's about Margaret I don't want to hear anything about it," she firmly told him as she stepped away from the door but left it open—letting Fred know he was still welcome in the house. "She's caused enough trouble to make up for the thirty some years she'd been dead for."

"It's not about Margaret," Fred interrupted Lucille's rant.

Instantly Lucille looked up to the top of the staircase and began to fear the worst. She was about to fleet up the steps to check on her son, but Fred noticed this and stopped her before she could make any move.

"It's not Jacob," Fred told her, giving Lucille a quick moment of relief until she realized there was only one person left, "It's Henry."

She turned around to look at her husband's brother, "He told you about the fight."

Fred's brows knitted together. Fight? He knew nothing about any fight, but now that he did he was guessing it might have played a part in the reason why his brother had been driving this late in the evening, on slippery roads, and after getting—what he'd thought was a not so severe head injury. He was about to inform Lucille about his lack of knowledge on this subject but she had already continued to speak.

"And now he's sent you over here to help patch things up or at least get me to agree to letting home come back home tonight," she guessed, shaking her head and smiling a not so happy smile. Lucille then reached down to pick up the boots she'd nearly twisted her ankle over, "Well it's not going to work. We said some very hurtful words to each other. The things he said to me…" she shook her head, not wanting her mind to wander back to that moment. "He can sleep at a motel or he can stay with you, I don't care. He just can't stay here, I'm not ready to welcome him back into this house."

"Luce, there's been an accident," Fred said after realizing that he'd waited too long to tell her.

Henry's boots dropped to the floor with two soft clunks.

"No," Lucille said, as if saying it would make it true.

With his arms opening for a hug, Fred stepped towards her but seeing that only upset Lucille even more. She knew what that meant. If there were injuries or details about the accident to report, he would tell her; a hug meant there was nothing more to report.

"No," she repeated, this time it came out as a wail before she fell into Fred's arms and began to sob.

Fred hugged his brother's wife…his brother's widow…hoping to bring her some sort of comfort as she grieved; of course he knew it would be tough. The one person who'd always been there to comfort her, was the one who she was now grieving for.

0o0o0o

Despite the bitter cold and the fact that the ambulance had left more than a half hour ago, Agent Martin Bellamy and Dr. Margaret Langston remained standing at the site of the accident, staring at the vehicle where Henry Langston's lifeless body had been found.

"I can't believe he's gone," Maggie said, breaking the silence with her still in shock voice.

Marty nodded in agreement then added, "He was a good man."

"He was a great man," she corrected, thought not at all in an angry tone, it was more of an informative tone before it suddenly took a very somber turn. "I'm really, really gonna miss him."

"He was your uncle," Marty replied, letting her know how he wouldn't expect her not to miss him.

"Yeah, I know but he was more than just an uncle," Maggie began to share aloud. "I mean my dad is great and he's always been there for me when I've needed him. But there were times when he couldn't be there and he needed help. Like when he was working midnight shifts, and I was really young, I would stay over at Uncle Henry and Aunt Lucille's."

She continued with her story, getting lost in her memories, "And I realize now how hard it must have been for them, with loosing Jacob and all, but they really did treat me like their own kid."

This made Marty nod his head, he could understand where she was coming from. He hadn't know The Langstons very long but Henry and Lucille were always very welcoming and kind, making him feel like he was visiting family anytime he visited them.

"We'd eat dinner together, watch TV…"Maggie went on, her face suddenly breaking into a smile, "He used to tell me these two-bit jokes that were so bad that they were actually funny!"

Marty couldn't help but smile as he noticed the growing grin stretching onto Maggie's lips as she recalled the memory. He soon found himself thinking of his own memory, when he'd first The Langstons and Jacob and Henry had greeted each other with a two-bit joke about a frog in a blender.

"What did the math book say to the pencil?" Maggie suddenly asked, tearing Marty out of his thoughts.

"What?"

Maggie grinned, "I have a lot of problems."

"Yeah, that's pretty bad," Marty agreed but still had to laugh along with Maggie.

"I told you!"

Their laughter continued a little longer before it faded into silence, something that seemed to happen almost as soon as their eyes caught the sight of the empty car.

"I can't believe he's gone," Maggie said once again, only this time her voice broke with the tears that she was struggling to hold in.

He could hear her struggle and Marty didn't want her to feel like she had to be strong in front of him. He could sense that she was in much need of a hug and so Marty wordlessly put his arms around Maggie's slender frame, slightly surprised when he felt her arms come up to wrap around his neck. However, he wasn't at all surprised when she began to finally cry and let it all out; her tears only made him hold her tighter.

"This is all my fault," she said, her words muffled by Marty's gray winter vest but he had heard them just fine.

Marty frowned as she pulled out of the hug and began to wipe the corners of her eyes, "Your fault?"

"Yeah," she nodded, looking down at her feet, "I'm a doctor. I should have warned him about driving after getting a head injury like that. I barely paid his injury any attention. I didn't even check if it needed stitches," Maggie told him, explaining where her guilt was coming from. "What kind of doctor is that? What kind of niece is that?"

"We don't know for sure if his head injury was the cause of the accident," Marty reminded, he hated seeing her blame herself like this. "It could've been his heart."

"Then I should've seen the signs that he was having heart problems!"

"Hey," Marty spoke in a firm but soft voice as he reached out and took hold of Maggie's right hand, getting her to look him in the eyes. "This wasn't your fault, okay?"

There was a moment of hesitation before, with teary eyes, Maggie nodded her head, "Okay."

"Good," he said letting go of her hand to move his up to her arm for a few moments.

It was a nice little gesture that made Maggie smile just a tiny bit before she sniffled softly and wiped at her eyes again.

"I wonder how Aunt Lucille's doing," she wondered out loud.

Marty nodded, "I was just wondering the same about Jacob."

"I guess I should probably head over there, see if there's anything that I can do for them."

"Right," he agreed.

There had been a death in her family and now she needed to be with her family. Marty understood this as he watched her begin to walk away. He had no intention to stop her until he had a sudden thought.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive out there on your own?" he called out to Maggie, getting her to stop and then turn around.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she assured, turning back around only for a moment before she turned herself back to face Marty. "No. No, I don't think I am. Could you drive me?"

"Sure," he wasted no time in agreeing which made Maggie give him a tearful, thank you smile.

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>__So what did you think? Like it? Hate it? Please be sure to let me know in a review._

_I'm not sure how long this story is going to be, it probably depends on Sunday's episode, but I do already have two more scenes figure out for this story :D I'm pretty excited about it and I hope you all are too! _

_Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **__I own noting!_

_**Author's Note: **__Hi everyone! How are you? Hope you're doing well! Ready for tonight's Resurrection? I know I am! But because we still have a few hours till then I thought I would post the second chapter of this story. Thank you so very much for the wonderful support you all have given the story! It means so very much and I hope that you enjoy this next chapter as well! Thanks for stopping by to read, please if you have the time please don't forget to review, I would really love to hear your thoughts on both the story and even the show :D Thanks for reading, hope you like, and as always please, Enjoy!_

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><p>Back at the Langston house, it had been some time since Fred had given Lucille the news that he never hoped—never imagined—he'd have to give her. She had managed to compose herself and stop crying, but as soon as she did Fred suddenly wished for the tears to come back. Now that Lucille wasn't crying, she wasn't doing anything. She just sat there in silence, looking as if she was lost in her own world of thoughts.<p>

They had moved into the kitchen now. Lucille sat at the kitchen table—in Henry's usual spot—and across from her was a chair where Fred's jacket and duty belt hung on the back. It had been a long day for him too. He didn't plan on going back to the station tonight unless it was a _very_ serious emergency.

"I forgot how hard it could be to boil water," he joked as he handed Lucille a mug; she didn't laugh. "I hope the tea's alright."

Lucille looked up at him and gave a small smile, "I'm sure it's just fine."

And then she was gone again. Back in her own world inside her head that must have been filled with thoughts about who knows what.

Fred was just about to take a seat beside her when the doorbell rang. He looked over at Lucille but it appeared that she hadn't heard the sound.

With a light sigh, he said, "I'll get it."

However, Lucille never saw Fred leave. He had taken the kitchen exit that lead out to the main hallway and her gaze was fixed on the exit of the kitchen's back door.

That was the last spot where she had seen her husband alive—he had been so angry at her and her at him. The last time they saw each other they had been arguing, she couldn't believe it. Henry's last thoughts of her must have been of how much he hated her, but what really killed Lucille was that he must have died thinking that she hated him.

That wasn't true, it couldn't be farther from the truth. She loved her husband—stubbornness and all—but she'd never be able to tell him this again.

A fresh fountain of tears was threatening to pour out and they nearly made it out until Lucille spotted Maggie and Marty enter the kitchen with Fred not too far behind.

"Aunt Lucille," Maggie said softly as she made her way to her aunt and wrapped her arms around the older woman.

From his spot, Marty watched the hug between aunt and niece. He heard a few murmured words but he didn't even try to make out what they had been. That was a private moment between them and Marty wanted in no way to intrude.

Quite some time had passed before the Langston women pulled out of the long hug. And when they did, end their hug, small tear shining smiles were exchanged before Maggie squeezed herself behind Lucille's chair so that she could take a seat in the kitchen chair on Lucille's left.

Marty stepped towards Lucille and placed his hand over hers, "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," she said with the tiniest of smiles and the most tearful eyes.

As Lucille said this she gently squeezed Marty's hand with hers as if inviting him to stay and sit with her too. Marty did just that, taking a seat on Lucille's right, straight across from where Maggie sat.

"Where's Jacob?" Maggie asked the question that was on Marty's mind.

"Upstairs."

It was Marty's turn to ask a question, "How's he taking all of this?"

"He doesn't know," came Lucille's even reply, her eyes never met Marty's or Maggie's, she just stared straight ahead.

Maggie and Mart exchanged looks of worry before looking at the two older family members; Marty looking at Lucille while Maggie stared over at her father.

"He doesn't know?"

"She hasn't really had the chance to tell him yet," Fred answered for his sister-in-law but it looked like she had a reply of her own to make.

"I can't tell him," she said, still in her numb state.

After hearing this, Fred joined in on the concerned looks that were being shared again between his daughter and Marty.

"Lucille, you've gotta tell him," reminded Fred, as gently as he could.

"I _know_ I have to tell him," Lucille said, breaking out of her daze to show some annoyance at what had just been said to her. "But I can't." she could see the frowns that had formed on their faces and knew she had to give further explanation.

"Jacob is so much…" she swallowed hard, trying to push back the lump she felt in her throat, "so much like his father. He looks so much like Henry when he was younger," Lucille added then paused just for a moment, "I keep thinking back to when we were told about Jacob's death. The look on Henry's face…I don't want to see it again on Jacob and know that once again I had a role in putting it there. I can't!"

The last two words came out as a mix between a shout and a sob, before Lucille bowed her head in attempt to hide the falling tears. Maggie's heart broke for her aunt and she soon moved closer to Lucille, pulling her into another much needed hug. The men meanwhile, exchanged looks from the sideline of things.

"It's gonna be okay," Maggie tried to bring her aunt some comfort. "You don't have to do this alone."

Fred nodded when he heard his daughter's statement, "Maggie's right, you've got us."

"We'll help you," added Marty with a reassurance.

Carefully and slowly, Lucille looked up with red eyes and a sniffle, "Thank you," she whispered to them.

Marty nodded, "But if you don't mind, I think we should tell Jacob sooner rather than later."

"Tell me what?"

The four heads looked up and turned to see Jacob standing in his pajamas only a few feet away from them. They each stared at the young boy worriedly; none of them knowing just what to say and their silence seemed to frighten Jacob.

"What's going on?" he asked but his question was only answered by more silence; so he turned his eyes to the one person who he'd never seen worried or afraid—until now that is. "Uncle Fred?"

The sound of his name caused Fred to glance over at the kid. He knew his brother had died thinking that this boy was his son but Fred had yet to make that same recognition. He didn't know who this person really was, so he didn't know what to say. Luckily, someone else did.

"Jacob, buddy, why don't you come sit over here?" Marty suggested as he scooted out of his current seat and over to the chair right beside it, making room for Jacob to sit between him and his mother.

No questions asked, Jacob did as he was told and sat himself in the open seat. Marty took a deep breath, he remembered his own words said just moments before—how it was better to tell Jacob sooner than later—but now with the boy sitting next to him, looking at him with big eyes, Marty was starting to think that later might actually be the better choice.

He turned his stare away from Jacob for just a moment and caught the sight of Maggie giving him an assuring head nod. That little nod suddenly gave Marty the strength he needed to continue.

"Jacob," he began in a calm and steady tone, "There was an accident."

This information made Jacob's brows furrow and he began to look around the room. Everyone was there, only his dad and grandma were missing…but his mom was crying.

"It was my dad, wasn't it?" Jacob somberly asked Marty.

The agent nodded, "Yeah, it was."

Jacob's eyes stayed on Marty, "But he's gonna be fine, right?"

Hearing this question made Marty feel even worse than before, he couldn't give the boy the answer that he was hoping for. Again, he looked over at Maggie hoping to get some more assurance or support from her but it wasn't as successful as before due to the new tears shining in her eyes.

"I'm afraid not, buddy. Your dad was hurt pretty badly," Marty explained, keeping his voice soft. "He died."

"But he's gonna be fine," insisted Jacob.

His words confused his cousin enough to make her forget about her sadness and tears and instead ask, "Jacob, you know what Marty means when he said your dad died, right?"

"I know what death is. I died," he reminded and then a smile broke onto his face, "And then I came back. Just like my dad will."

Hearing Jacob's explanation gave Maggie a realization that she hadn't even thought of before. She looked over at Marty and her father and by the apprehensive expressions they wore on their faces, it didn't look like the idea had crossed their minds either. It apparently had not entered Lucille's mind either but she reacted much differently than the rest of them.

"Jacob! You're right!" she said suddenly smiling grandly, then looking at the others. "Henry will come back! He'll be a returned!"

"Hold on a second, Luc. I don't think you should get so excited too quickly," said Fred, placing a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I mean we don't know for sure who or what these returned really are. Do you really want Henry to come back like that?"

Lucille glared angrily up at the man who quickly moved his hand off of her when he saw the look she was sending him. Meanwhile Jacob nervously looked down; not because of what happened to his father but because of what his uncle had just said.

Marty could feel the tension in the room rising. The family had already been through enough today, he didn't want to see them go through any more unneeded drama, so he stepped in hoping to revise Fred's comments as well as the emotions they had sparked.

"I think what Fred means is that there's still a lot we don't know about the returned," Marty stated, ignoring the defeated and slightly annoyed look he was getting from the sheriff; his focus was on Lucille. "We still don't know how any of this really works…"

A smile began to creep back onto Lucille's lips, "It doesn't matter that we don't know how it works. All that matters is that it works and it's happening!" she told him, her smile growing more and more, "It happened with Jacob, it happened with Margaret, and it'll happen with Henry. Maybe it's something that runs in the Langston family, I don't know and I don't care as long as it brings back Henry."

Maggie's aunt had given her a theory about the returned that she'd never considered, however, before she could think too much about it, she remembered a detail about the returned that Lucille seem to have forgotten.

"Aunt Lucille, it took Jacob and Margaret decades to return," she reminded, "Uncle Henry might not come back today or tomorrow. He might not even come back years from now. He might not come back at all."

"He'll come back," Lucille firmly argued with just enough anger to make Maggie, Marty, and Fred drop the subject.

Their silence made Lucille's smile appear once more as she stood up and looked at her son, "Come on, Jacob, let's get you back to bed. There's nothing for us to worry about now."

Jacob stood up, ready to go back up to his bed; his mother placed her hands on his shoulders to carefully lead him out of the room.

"You're my little ray of sunshine, you know that?" Lucille asked, kissing the top of Jacob's head causing him to smile.

The trio sat at the table and watched the mother and son leave the room that became silent as soon as they were gone.

"Dad," Maggie said, worry evident in her voice—worry for her cousin and most especially her aunt. "What're we gonna do?"

Fred heaved a sigh, "I don't know."

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>__So what did you think? Yay? Nay? Somewhere in between? Be sure to let me know in a review!_

_I have one more chapter planned out and could possibly post later today if you all would like :D It's not the final chapter but it's what I've gotten up to so far. I'm hoping after tonight's episode I'll get inspired with more ideas. _

_The next chapter we'll see Jenny, a little Marty/Maggie bit, and more Lucille and Jacob hoping for Henry's return._

_Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing!_

_**Author's Note: **__Hi everyone! How are you? Hope you're doing well! Now the big question, what did you all think of last night's Resurrection? I thought it was AMAZING! Still can't get over it. it was amazing acting, powerful scenes, just incredible. I won't say much else here because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't see it yet, if you want to talk more about it though, feel free to PM me though :D Okay so today I have a new chapter for you, a little shorter than usual but I needed to cut it in half. Also this chapter and next episode were done BEFORE True Believer aired so there are little to NO references to things that happened in that episode however, soon I will be addressing it all in a future chapter. I hope that you don't mind. Also a great big wonderful thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read and review this story! It means so so much! I am having such a great time writing it and it means the world that you all are enjoying reading it too! I hope you all like this chapter and please do review if you can, I would really love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for stopping by to read, I hope you like, and as always, please, Enjoy!_

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><p>"Where're we going?" young Jenny asked from the passenger's seat in Marty's car.<p>

"We're gonna go see some friends," came Marty's reply.

Jenny frowned just slightly, "Friends like Maggie?"

Taking his eyes off the road for a quick moment, Marty smiled at his sister, "Sort of."

He thought his answer had satisfied his sister's inquisitiveness, but he'd forgotten that she was a kid and kids were filled with curiosity and even more questions.

"Do you like Maggie?" asked Jenny.

"Sure, I do," Marty nodded then titled his head to the side just slightly as he added, "That's why she's my friend."

Though Jenny was smiling she was also shaking her head back and forth, "No, I mean do you like her, _like_ _her_?"

That was a question that Marty had definitely not seen coming. He was surprised by it to say the least, so much so that his shock was visible on his face and quickly noticed by his sister.

"You do," she said with a smile and a nod of her head. He was about to say something to that, when she continued, "Big sisters know these things."

Watching Jenny give a knowing smile before turning her head to look out the window, Marty had to smile himself. He'd never imagined that he'd have a big sister; certainly not one that was many years younger than him, but he did. And it was pretty great.

Still he thought he should talk to her and clear up the whole thing about 'liking' Maggie. He didn't want Jenny to get the wrong idea, especially since she'd previously asked him several questions about him being married. He opened his mouth to speak but at that same time, Jenny had spotted the familiar two story house that they were driving up to and she quickly became very eager.

Her head swung over to look at Marty, showing him the joyful smile that had sprung onto her face.

"That's The Langston's house! We're gonna go see Jacob?" she asked excitedly.

Marty's smile soon appeared again, "That's right."

Jenny was practically jumping in her seat as Marty pulled into the driveway and put the vehicle in park. He was sure that Jenny would jump out of the vehicle and run to the house as soon as he unlocked the car door and he couldn't have that. Though Marty was sure that neither Lucille nor Jacob would mind, Marty wanted to talk to her before they went into the house. He needed to tell her about everything that was going on and explain why they were there.

"Jenny, listen, The Langston's are going through sort of a tough time right now," he began to say and Jenny's smile shrunk into a more sympathetic expression. "Jacob's dad died last night. And I thought we should stop by and see them, to try to cheer them up and see if there was anything we could do to help them out."

Hearing this made Jenny nod her head, she liked the idea but did have one suggestion, "We should've brought some beef stew."

"Beef stew?" Marty asked with a mix of confusion and amusement.

Again Jenny's head moved in an up and down motion, "It's one of the foods that Mom used to call comfort food."

"She did?" Marty asked causing Jenny to nod; suddenly Marty wanted to hear more about his mother who he never really knew. "What else did she call comfort food?"

The young girl shrugged, "Lots of stuff."

"Think some time you could tell me more about some of that stuff?" his voice had a hint of hopefulness to it.

"Sure," Jenny was quick to agree then even quicker asked, "Can we go see Jacob now?"

"Sure."

0o0o0o

They only rang the doorbell once before the front door was yanked open by a smiling Lucille.

The grin that she wore was so grand and happy, however it started to diminish the moment she saw Jenny and Marty. Her smile's shrunken state did not last very long though; before anyone could notice or say anything about it, Lucille was smiling brightly again—although the smile did not look as happy as it did before.

"Marty, Jenny," she greeted them happily, though still felt a great deal of guilt for the way she had intentionally reacted to seeing them. "I'm sorry about that. I…I thought you were Henry."

Instantly, Marty felt a feeling of remorse when he heard her say this. Although he wasn't sure what he felt worse about: that for a moment he had, unintentionally, given this kind woman the hope that her husband had returned and was at her door or that she still believed that he would.

"But it really is so good to see you both," Lucille continued, then stepped to the side and waved them in, "Come in, come in."

The siblings walked into the house while Lucille shut the door behind them. Once inside the house, Marty caught a string whiff of something so warm and delicious that despite having just had breakfast, it made his stomach rumble with a small growl.

"Jacob's playing outside in the back," Lucille told Jenny.

The girl's smile doubled in size, "Thanks Mrs. Langston!"

Lucille smiled as she watched Jenny sprint through the house and over to the door that would lead her to the backyard; when she was gone Lucille turned her grin to Marty who gave a polite smile back.

"How're you doing?"

"I'm fine, just fine," she answered then began to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "Come with me into the kitchen."

Marty followed her and found that the closer he got to the kitchen the stronger and better the delectable scent became.

"It smells great," he complimented just before he walked into the kitchen.

As soon as he did enter the room he had to do a double take. This kitchen did not look the way a kitchen did on a normal Monday afternoon; it looked like a kitchen on Thanksgiving. There was food and pots and more food scattered around the room.

"It's pot-roast," Lucille informed, shutting the oven door after she'd finished checking its contents; her smile grew as she added, "It's Henry's favorite."

With slumped shoulders Marty had to hold back a sigh. She was still so convinced, still so hopeful, that her husband would be back. It was becoming painful to watch.

"When you brought Jacob back to us, I was unprepared. But this time I'm making sure I'll be ready," Lucille continued, her smile growing more and more, "I'm making Henry's favorite meal with all of his favorite sides, some desserts that I know he loves. And I even got him his favorite beer."

A sad smile formed on Marty's mouth, "I'm sure he'd like that."

Lucille didn't seem to notice that Marty's words had been said in a way that sounded more like Henry would appreciate it _if_ he'd returned. She just continued to grin and went back to checking on something on the stove.

"So I take it you haven't heard from anyone…Henry or Margaret?"

For a moment Lucille's smile dropped and she sighed sadly, "No and no." Her second 'no' sounded much more chirper than her first.

When he heard this Marty couldn't help but smirk; he had noticed the different tones that she used. Lucille was obviously not only disappointed that she hadn't heard from her husband but very happy that she hadn't heard from her returned mother-in-law.

As he smirked, his gaze traveled over to the back window where he had expected to find the two kids laughing and running around but instead found them sitting at a picnic table that had been set out there, looking serious and very quite. Marty frowned but didn't want to worry Lucille.

"Mind if I go check on the kids outside?"

"Go right ahead," she replied waving him off.

Marty left the room without saying anything else, but Lucille didn't mind or didn't notice. She just continued to work on Henry's favorite foods. She had to make sure everything was ready for him when he got back and he was coming back. She was sure of it.

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>__So what did you think? Good? Bad? Ugly? Be sure to let me know in a review!_

_Next chapter should be up soon again, please remember this chapter and the next one were done BEFORE the 1/11/15 episode those events will be addresses soon enough though :)_

_Sneak peek into next chapter: More Jenny and Jacob and more Maggie and Marty and more on Henry's possible return._

_Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day! _


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing!_

_**Author's Note: **__Hello everyone! How are you? Hope you're doing well! Sorry for not updating yesterday but I thought I'd wait some time so some of you could catch up before posting the next chapter. Thanks once again to all of you who have reviewed the story so far, your words of encouragement mean so very much and any new readers please feel free to review at any time! I'd so love to hear from you! Today's chapter is the last chapter I had done before the episode True Believer aired so starting from the next new chapter, you'll see more of things brought in from the show :) I really do hope that you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for stopping by to read, please review if you can, hope you like, and as always, Enjoy!_

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><p>"Hey," Marty called out to the kids sitting on top of the picnic table, but only got the attention of Jenny.<p>

She smiled at him, "Hi, Robert."

Marty smiled at his sister but as he stepped closer to the table he kept his attention on Jacob. The young boy hadn't made any kind of welcome to Marty and by the way he continued to stare off into the space of the forest of trees in front of him, Marty was sure that Jacob wasn't even aware that he was there.

He looked down at Jacob, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Jacob replied in a quick, dismissive fashion.

"What're you guys up to?" he asked, frowning slightly.

The question had been directed towards Jacob, hoping he'd say something but it was Jenny who once again did the answering.

"We're looking out for Jacob's dad," she explained, "Jacob said he was coming back."

The frown Marty wore softened into a more compassionate one. Seeing how hopeful both Jacob and Lucille were about Henry returning made Marty wish that the man would come back for their sakes. But wishing and hoping had no role in this situation with the returned (not as far as he knew) and Marty thought that Jacob deserved to hear this. He knew it would be hard news for the boy to take, but Marty figured it was better coming from him rather than having Jacob figure it out on his own when weeks had passed and Henry hadn't come back.

"Jacob, I know this is hard for you but I really think you need to understand that there's a really good chance that your dad won't come back the way you and grandma did," Marty explained in a soft and gentle like tone; he sighed before adding, "In fact it's probably more likely that he won't return than anything else."

Jacob's gaze stayed ahead, looking past the many trees and towards the river—a place where he had several happy memories with his father—still he responded to Marty's statement.

"I know."

His sudden agreement confused Marty, "You know?" he asked puzzled but Jacob made no reply with words or actions so Marty pressed on. "Then why did you say all that stuff last night?"

"Because it made my mom happy. I don't like seeing her cry. I wanted to cheer her up." Jacob explained and then at the last turned to glance at Marty, "Was that bad?"

With those big worried eyes looking up at him with such a sense of innocence, Marty released a small sigh. This kid really did love his parents. First, he'd been willing to disappear for good in order to keep them safe and now in the wake of his father's death, he was trying to keep his mother happy even if it meant believing things that he knew might not be true.

"Your heart was in the right place," Marty finally said, making a smile come onto Jacob's lips; his happiness had Marty feeling pretty good too. "Mind if I join you guys?"

The response to his question was a smile from his sister and Jacob scooting closer to Jenny so that there was enough room for Marty to sit on the table top with them. Smiling his thanks, Marty took a seat at the left side of the table, resting his feet on the table's sitting bench.

The trio sat in silence, their stares focused on the scenery in front of them; nothing but the great outdoors with trees, plants, and the running river. However the longer Marty looked out n the scene, the more he too began to hope that he might spot Henry emerge from behind one of the big trees.

"Hey."

A new voice had called out, grabbing Marty's attention before it could wander too far off on the topic of Henry's return. Marty turned to look behind him, where the voice was coming from, and found Maggie walking towards them with a smile forming on her face.

"What's going on?" she asked once she reached them, and then asked in a more joking manner, "Was there a Big Foot sighting I didn't know about?"

"We're keeping a look out for my dad," Jacob informed his cousin, wearing a small smile.

However, while Jacob appeared content and almost sort of eager, Maggie became gravely concerned.

"Um, Jacob," she started to say. "You know your dad…"

"It's okay," Marty interrupted Maggie, already knowing where her speech was heading—the same path that his had taken not too long ago. And a path that Jacob was fully aware existed.

Maggie of course, didn't know this so his interruption came as a shock to her. It didn't take long for Marty to notice the scowl that Maggie was suddenly wearing; seeing it, told Marty how puzzled she was and that he needed to share what he'd learned just before she had gotten there. Still, he didn't want to do it with the little pitchers and their big ears so close by.

"Hey, why don't you guys take a break and go play for awhile?" he suggested to the two friends. His offer was met by a confused look from Jacob and so he added a little bit of assurance, "I'll stay on guard here and let you know if I see anything."

Before Jacob could give a reply or even think about one, Jenny hopped off the table and grabbed a hold of his hand, giving it a small tug that told him to do the same.

"Come on, Jacob, they wanna be _alone_," Jenny said while grinning teasingly at her brother.

With his brows knitted closer together, Jacob looked over at the pair—catching Marty smiling and shaking his head, while emerging on Maggie's face was a frown that matched his own. But despite his confusion and his want to stay and look for his dad, Jacob moved off the table and let Jenny lead him to the other side of the yard.

"So, why is it now okay that Jacob believes his dad is going to return?" Maggie asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Because he doesn't believe it as much as we thought he did," informed Marty. "He knows there's a really good chance of Henry not returning."

Maggie was only becoming more confused, "But what he said last night…"

"He said it to cheer his mom up. He didn't want to see her cry," Marty continued to explain, "I can tell there's a part of him that really hopes his dad will be back but for the most part, he said it all for Lucille's benefit."

"Huh," Maggie said as she took in everything that she had just been told; a soft smile crawled on her lips as she sat herself beside Marty on the picnic table. "It's actually kind of sweet when you think about it."

"It also gave Lucille a lot of false hope," reminded Marty.

"It's made her happier though, which is kinda better than seeing her crying and upset," she pointed out then confessed, "I'll admit, after we left, Jacob's words stayed in my mind and they made me pretty hopeful too. He's a returned and can sense when others are nearby, I thought he might've be onto something."

Marty nodded, he himself had similar thoughts for a short period of time last night, "Yeah."

"It would just be so much easier if Uncle Henry did return, you know?" Maggie went on, tears starting to prickle in her eyes again. "Aunt Lucille has already been through so much…and Jacob would have his dad back." She sighed, "His death has really taken a lot out on my dad too."

"How's he doing?" Marty asked, remembering how devastated Fred appeared the night before when they'd found Henry's body.

"Since Aunt Lucille is in compete denial about the whole thing, my dad is the one who's been handling all of the funeral arrangement stuff and it's just…it's hard on him and it's not something he should be doing alone."

"Want me to go by and help him out?"

Maggie shook her head as she rubbed her hands on the corners of her eyes, "I just came from there, I was barely any help to him," she shared, "I think he wishes that Aunt Lucille would step in to help or even take over the whole thing."

"Maybe we should go talk to her then."

"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea," she replied after giving a tiny scoff. "We'd either make her really angry and she's kick us out or she'd ignore everything we said and shoo us away with a pieces of pie."

Marty shrugged, "I could go for some pie."

His comment brought the smallest of smiles to Maggie's lips, but it was still a smile and one that made Marty happy to see.

"I'm serious though," he continued. "I think it would be a good idea for us to talk to Lucille and get her to understand how unlikely the chances are of Henry returning. It'd be the best for everyone."

Maggie drew in a shaky, big breath as she nodded her head, "You're right."

And with that said the two stood up from their seats on the table and began to head back over to the house for what they were sure would be a very difficult talk.

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>__So what did you think? Yay? Nay? A little of both? Be sure to let me know in a review!_

_Next Chapter: Expect to see more Lucille and a little more stuff brought in from the episode._

_Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day! _


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing!_

_**Author's Note: **__Hi everyone! First off I am so very sorry for the longer wait with this chapter. I started school again this week and hadn't been feeling very well in the days prior to that. I'm back now and I'm hoping to have another chapter (maybe two) up before the finale on Sunday. Can you believe that the season is over? I'm only hoping that we will get another season! At least one more to get things wrapped up, on another time slot maybe? I know that ratings had not been very good but I think a lot of it was because of the shows it was against. Of course that's just my opinion, what do you guys think? Once again thank you for the amazingly sweet reviews and wonderful support! It truly means so much! I hope you all enjoy this chapter1 Thanks for reading and please do review if you can, I'd love to hear your thoughts! This includes thought on the previous episode or episode to came, always enjoy talking about that! Hope you like and as always, please, Enjoy!_

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><p>Maggie and Marty sat at the kitchen table with a big slice of blueberry pie in front of each of them. Their eyes followed Lucille as she fluttered around the room, continuing to work on the growing number of dishes of food. They would be tired from just watching her if they weren't already feeling so worried.<p>

"Aunt Lucille, maybe you should sit down," Maggie suggested.

"Oh no, I can't, sweetheart," came Lucille's smiling reply as she finished checking one pot and moved on to the next, "I still have so many more of your uncle's favorite foods to make."

A small frown formed on Marty's forehead, "I don't think you should be going through the trouble of making all this."

She shook her head as she continued to move about, "It's no trouble. Besides, Marty, you know as well as anyone how big the appetite of the Returned can be." Lucille continued on as she began to use a wooden spoon to stir the contents of a silver mixing bowl. "Henry already had quite the appetite on his own; I can only imagine what it'll be like when he comes back as a Returned!"

The mention of Henry coming back as a Returned caused Marty and Maggie to exchange subtle sideways glances. They had to have this talk with Lucille now. They had already wasted enough time and it was affecting everyone, especially Lucille. The longer they waited, the harder it would be.

"Aunt Lucille, I really think that you should sit down," Maggie said again but this time she sounded more like she was insisting rather than suggesting; the she added in a more sincere tone, "Please."

Lucille's bustling slowly died down as she caught the sight of the desperate, almost pleading with concern, look that was written all over her niece's face.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a five minute break," she reasoned, smiling just slightly.

Then the older woman took a seat in front of the young duo and gave them a smile that they soon returned in an awkward fashion. They sat in a silence that was neither comfortable nor tense, it was the kind of silence that should have been comforting but it wasn't, all thanks to the looming feeling of something that needed to be said but couldn't.

Just from watching them, Lucille could tell that Marty and Maggie wanted to tell her something and she had a pretty good feeling it would be something that she didn't want to hear. Of course that didn't mean she had to listen to them or for that matter let them say anything at all.

"How's the pie?" she asked, changing topics before the first one could even really begin.

At first Maggie was startled by her aunt's unexpected question but she soon forced her best smile on and picked at the nearly uneaten pie piece, "It's really good."

"It's great," confirmed Marty, his piece was half gone.

Hearing these responses made Lucille grin and nod her head; Marty figured now was as good a time as any.

"Lucille, we need to talk about Henry."

At the sound of someone else saying her husband's name, Lucille's mood seemed to brighten—you could see it in her eyes—"Did you hear from him? Is he coming home?"

"No, I haven't," replied Marty in a saddened voice. "And I don't know if we ever will."

Both Maggie and Marty watched Lucille intently. They were unsure of how she would react to this; with anger and rage, with sadness and tears, or neither of the above and just continue on with her denial? It appeared to be latter of the three as her smile came back after shrinking if only a smidge or two.

"You know, the first time that I made blueberry pie was the day that Henry and I officially moved into this house," Lucille suddenly shared with them. "I wanted to make it feel more home-y for Henry and I. I thought that baking a pie would be the perfect way to do this. Of course, having just moved in we had few ingredients for anything. So I sent Henry to the store for cherries and he came back with _blueberries_. Now how anyone mixes up the two is beyond me but…"

"Uncle Henry isn't coming back!" Maggie interjected; her voice much louder and harsher than she'd intended.

The corners of Lucille's mouth lowered just a bit, "I have to check on my carrot cake."

Marty watched as the redheaded woman stood up from her seat, he knew he couldn't let her walk away from the table and most importantly, away from this conversation. Soon he was on his feet and working fast.

"No, you don't," Marty said in a firm tone as he grabbed a hold of Lucille's arm—his hold was softer than his voice; she turned to look at him and he continued. "You need to sit back down and listen to what we have to say."

Maggie watched the stare down between Marty and her aunt, it lasted for several tense moments before Lucille at last, slipped out of his grasp and back into her seat at the table, causing Marty to do the same.

"I know this is hard for you," Marty started again, sounding more sympathetic than he had before. "And I know you wish Henry would return, we all do. But it doesn't look like he's going to."

Glancing at Lucille, her smile had become the faintest Marty had ever seen it but it was still evident as she shook her head and remarked, "You don't know that Henry's not coming back."

"And you don't know that he will!" Marty instantly regretted raising his voice the way he did, but she needed to understand this.

Lucille's smile had now vanished without a trace and Marty only hoped that it meant she was finally coming to terms with her husband's sudden passing.

"I know it's hard to accept but you have to. The way you're carrying on now, thinking and acting like Henry is coming back, it's not healthy for you. And it's hurting your family. It's hurting Jacob."

As the room was consumed by another great bout of silence, Lucille's gaze shifted downwards to the surface of the table where her clasped hands rested. During this silence, Marty sat patiently in his seat while Maggie stood up and walked around the table so that she could sit beside her aunt. She had just settled into her seat on Lucille's left when the woman broke the room's stillness.

"We had a fight."

"You and Jacob?" Maggie questioned leading her aunt to shake her head.

"Henry and I," Lucille clarified before going on. She spoke in a distant voice and never looked at Maggie or Marty; it was as if she were reliving the events of the argument. "We had a fight earlier that day. That's why he was driving around late that night. It was a horrible fight. We said such _mean_ things to each other. It was like we were trying to see how could hurt the other more. I blamed him for everything that happened with Jacob and Margaret and he blamed me for Jacob's death."

Having recently learned the part of the story of how Lucille had been sleeping when Jacob died, Maggie immediately felt for her aunt and her eyes showed her empathy as she reached over to put her hand on her aunt's arm. Meanwhile, Marty was just confused; he only knew that Jacob had drowned one day after school when he was trying to save his Aunt Barbra, he didn't know the other part of the story—and of course, now wasn't the time to share it.

"We were so angry with each other and that anger only grew after he left. When Fred came to tell me what happened, I was even more furious with Henry because on the way to answer the door I had tripped over his damn work boots. I was always telling him not to leave them just lying around…"

Marty noticed Lucille's voice drift off and for a split second there was the faintest of smiles on her face, as if her words evoked a private memory between her and her husband; but all too soon it disappeared and she continued to speak, her eyes becoming glassy as she did so,

"I can't believe that the last feelings we had towards each other were filled with so much anger. Henry must have died feeling such animosity towards me but what's worse is he must have died thinking that I hated him," she unexpectedly broke out of her daze and looked at the pair; in her eyes were more tears that were on the verge of falling. "And that just not true. I love…loved him so much."

Lucille then broke down sobbing; using a past tense word in regard to her husband appeared to be the thing that finally made Lucille understand that Henry really was gone. Realizing this had her crying harder than when she found out about the accident the night before, because now she had accepted that no matter how much she wished, or how many of his favorite meals she made, Henry wouldn't be coming back.

Sorrowful wracking sobs continued to shake Lucille's body, showing no signs of stopping. It was a tough thing to witness, Marty could only watch on with a heavy heart while Maggie enveloped the crying woman into a tight hug.

"He knew, Aunt Lucille, he knew," she tried to assure her mourning aunt. "I grew up watching the two of you and the love between you and Uncle Henry was always evident. You two had been through so much over the years. Jacob's death, the closing of the factory, Jacob's return and a million other things in between. All of it formed a strong bond between you two that not even some horrible fight could break."

Maggie's words must have brought Lucille some comfort because her loud, harsh sounding sobs had ceased into silent cries—however, with just as many tears as before.

Though Marty could see that Maggie had a handle on this, he felt compelled to say something too. He had after all been part of the reason for Lucille's current tears. It may have been for Lucille's own good but her distressed state did nothing to help Marty's guilt.

"Maggie's right. I mean I haven't known you as long as she has," he began to say to her. "But in the time I have known you and Henry, it was pretty clear. Henry was crazy about you. And he always knew that you loved him. I don't think you could've done or said anything to change his mind about that. Mostly because it took a lot to change his mind about something," Marty added with a light smirk, "He was pretty stubborn like that."

"He was," Lucille agreed with her eyes red and her face stained with tears. "He really was."

Gradually a silence took over the room as Lucille's cries and sniffles lessened—with the help of the words previously said by her niece and Agent Bellamy. Once she composed herself as best as she could, Lucille looked across the table at Marty.

"There's always going to be part of me that hopes Henry will come back," she admitted to him.

"I know," Marty replied, reaching out and touching Lucille's hand. "And that's okay. But carrying on like you were before, that wasn't good for you or Jacob."

Lucille nodded her head and gave another little sniffle. Just then Lucille's cell phone rang from its spot on the kitchen's large island. Maggie was about to get up and answer it when the owner of the phone halted Maggie's movements before they could even be made.

"I'll get it," Lucille said as she pushed herself out of her seat and wiped her hands under her eyes. "It's probably your father again. I've avoided his calls long enough."

On the fourth ring, Lucille grabbed the phone and pressed the answer button without checking to see who it was. She placed it against her ear and prepared herself for any funeral questions that Fred must have been calling to ask her about.

"Hello?" she said then was surprised when she heard a feminine voice on the other end of the line. "Oh hello, Connie. No I didn't….Yes, I heard I…what?"

The shocked tone of voice used by Lucille instantly caught the attentions of the two sitting at the table. They looked at each other briefly before moving their eyes back to Lucille, who was still engrossed with the conversation she was having on the phone.

"He did? Are you sure?" There was a pause, during which a smile appeared on Lucille's face and when she spoke again all traces of sadness were gone. "Yes, yes it is. Connie, I'll have to call you back later. Yes, okay, goodbye."

She disconnected the call and placed the phone back on the food filled counter, then looked over at Maggie and Marty, a grand smile on her lips and a new twinkle of hope in her eyes.

"What was that about?" Maggie asked not being able to help the curious tone the question was asked in.

"That was Connie Green," Lucille started to explain. "She said that Preacher James brought back Frank Henderson. She saw it with her own eyes."

"Frank Henderson?"

Lucille nodded, "He died just a few days before Henry. And Preacher James brought him back!"

"How'd he do that?" Marty skeptically wondered.

"It doesn't matter how he did it," Lucille argued and then her smile grew another few inches, "Don't you see? He can bring Henry back!"

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>__So what did you think? Like it? Not like it? Be sure to let me know in a review!_

_Next chapter will probably have more from the episode True Believer as well as the aftermath and unseen scenes I think happened between scenes that we saw in the show._

_Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing!_

_**Author's Note: **__Hello everyone! How are you? Hope you're doing well! Did you all see the finale last night? What did you think? I honestly loved it so much I wanted to rewatch it over and over today and last night…so far I've only rewatched it twice lol But I'd love to hear your thoughts too! In the meantime, I have a new chapter for you! Sorry for not getting it up sooner I was going to post it last night right before the season finale but I was too excited about the finale lol This chapter was cut in half so the next chapter will be sort of similar to this one and by that I mean some parts are a kind of summary of what happened in "True Believer" I hope that you don't mind. Thanks to kevinthebird and TvFanaticDayDreamer for giving their two cents on that. And thank you to all you wonderful readers! The reviews you all left on the last chapter were so generous and so sweet and so amazing, thank you! I hope that you all like this chapter too! Please if you have the time, leave a review, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading, hope you like, and as always, Enjoy!_

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><p>The next twenty four hours were to say the least, a whirlwind. Some hours flew by with things seeming to happen all at once, while others dragged on as if time had suddenly been put into slow motion. And the emotions…there were so many different mixes of emotions for everyone involved but most especially, Lucille.<p>

After she'd shared with Marty and Maggie what she had learned about what Preacher James was said to be able to do, she started making calls to find out where exactly Preacher James was so that she could meet with him. Between the phone calls to other citizens of Arcadia, Marty tried to talk some sense into Lucille, while Maggie called in for backup—Fred.

It didn't take long for Fred to arrive at the Langston Family home—he was happy to get away from the depressing papers and brochures he'd been given to help him plan his brother's funeral. When he got there, Lucille excitedly shared the news about Preacher James and once she'd finished Fred found himself feeling a speck of hope.

There wasn't a lot that they knew about how The Returned came back, Fred understood this. It's what made him dismiss the idea of his brother coming back as one of them; but if he had some help from the preacher who was said to be able to bring back those who had died…maybe, just maybe, Henry could come back.

When Lucille announced that she was going to see Preacher James, Fred instantly volunteered to not only drive her there but be part of the visit with the preacher. Fred could tell that Lucille was in a susceptible state and he didn't want anyone to even try to take advantage of her.

Their mini pow wow with Preacher James had been an interesting one.

While Preacher James had given them the good news, that he could bring Henry back, he'd also made a rather strange request. He had explained that in order to brig Henry back, he would need some help—from Agent Bellamy. However, his order to bring him Marty was not a happy or casual one, it sounded more like a king asking for someone's head…perhaps maybe not to that extreme but it had certainly left Fred feeling uneasy.

Still, Lucille was determined to do whatever it took to get her husband back.

After stopping by her house to pick up a few things, Fred drove Lucille over to Maggie's apartment so that they could tell Maggie and Marty what happened during their meeting with Preacher James.

Both Marty and Maggie were already against the visit with Preacher James—there was just something about him that told them he might not be one to trust—so when Lucille told the about the request for Marty's help, well needless to say, Marty was not a fan of the idea of helping Preacher James out in any way. Even if it was to help bring Henry back.

Not that Marty believed that Preacher James could do this.

Marty tried to tell Lucille that she was just being played; that Preacher James couldn't bring anyone back and he was trying to get to him by using them, but it was useless. The preacher had given Lucille more false hope than she'd had before and this angered Marty even more.

He was positive that Preacher James was some kind of con man—his sister's stories about him did not bode well for the preacher—he took advantage of families and Marty did not want him taking advantage of another; especially not one that he'd become quite close with during his time in Arcadia.

But then that same family was soon asking him to help bring back someone very important to each of them. They asked him to give it a shot, to at least try, there really was nothing to lose. They started doing this one by one. First Lucille, then Fred, and even Maggie, but it was when Jacob asked for him to try, in his small voice, that Marty knew he no choice but to say yes.

As soon as Marty said that he would do it, Lucille threw her arms around him and thanked him before he had the chance to even think about changing his mind. She then asked Jenny and Jacob to help her get some things from the car and Fred followed them wordlessly out of the apartment, leaving Maggie and Marty alone.

"Thanks for doing this," Maggie said after several silent moments had passed.

"I haven't done anything," reminded Marty. "And I don't even know if I'm actually gonna do anything…the anything you all are hoping for. So don't thank me."

Maggie smiled softly, "Still, you're trying and it really does mean a lot. Thank you."

Marty was about to make a remark on what she'd just said when the apartment's door opened back up and the small group who's recently exited the place, reentered with small boxes and a few scrapbooks in their arms.

"Preacher James said he needed a picture of Henry too," explained Lucille as she and the others settled into the sitting area of Maggie's apartment. "And I think it should be a good one."

"What does he need a picture of Henry for?" Marty questioned, wearing a deep scowl.

Lucille shrugged, "I suppose to know what he looks like."

"I know what Henry looks like. I'm supposed to be helping him, aren't I? That's what he wants, right?" Marty pointed out, "What does he need the picture for then?"

The answer to Marty's questions came as a sharp glare from Lucille followed by Fred gently guiding Marty away from his sister-in-law.

"How about we take a break from the game of Twenty Questions?" he suggested, jokingly.

"I'm not playing a game," Marty firmly declared with a growing frown. "If I'm gonna do this, I need answers."

Though Fred could understand where the agent was coming from, he still sadly shook his head, "Lucille doesn't have those answers."

Marty suddenly felt the tension in his shoulders lessen. Fred was right, Lucille didn't have the answers, she knew just as much as he did. It was wrong of him to be taking this out on her, especially when she was already going through enough as it was.

"I like this one," Jacob said as he held out a picture to his mother.

Smiling, Lucille looked down at the photo and saw that it was one that had been take many years ago. In the picture were Jacob and a young Henry, grinning cheerfully as they lay in the backyard hammock. It was photograph that warmed Lucille's heart and made her smile even more.

"I do too. But I think we should find a photo of your dad that more recent."

"You mean one where he's bald?" Jacob asked bluntly, surprising his mother while the others struggled to stifle their laughs.

"Jacob, your father is not…" she had started to scold but drifted off when she realized he wasn't far from the truth. She sighed, "Let's just not say anything about that when your dad does get back. He might be a little sensitive to the subject, okay?"

Jacob nodded his head and then went back to searching through the box of loose photos.

"How about this one, Aunt Lucille?" Maggie asked as she handed her aunt a new photo. "It's a nice one."

Lucille grinned as she saw it, "Yes, it is."

The photo Maggie had found was more recent; last Christmas in fact. Henry and Lucille were standing in front of the Christmas tree in their living room, his arm over her shoulder and her left hand resting over his chest, smiles on both their faces.

Christmas had always been one of Lucille's favorite holidays. Of course it had also been another holiday that was tough to get through during the first few years following Jacob's death. And even thirty some years later, when the holidays rolled around, there was a strong sense of melancholy that hung in the air.

But this year, with Christmas only a little ways off, it looked like it could be a Christmas that Jacob would be here to celebrate! Lucille did not want her husband missing out on that.

"I think it might be better if it was one with him on his own," Lucille shared out loud.

Maggie nodded, "Okay, but it might be kind of hard to find one like that. I've never thought of Uncle Henry really being a fan of having his picture taken, especially by himself," she reminded as she came across a photo of herself and her uncle at her graduation from medical school. She smiled at the image in her hands.

"Maggie, is this you?" Jenny unexpectedly asked, holding up a picture of a baby smiling in a stroller.

"Yeah, that's me," Maggie confirmed, grin staying in place.

Hearing that there was a picture of a young Maggie, Marty let his curiosity get the best of him and he joined the others on the sofa and surrounding chairs. He took the photo from his sister's grasp and began to grin when he saw the photograph of chubby cheeked—Baby Maggie.

"You were a pretty cute baby," he told her.

"Hey, I'm still cute," argued Maggie.

Marty shrugged his shoulders and teasingly added, "If you say so."

That caused Maggie to playfully shove Marty who only laughed, causing Maggie to laugh right along with him. All the while, Fred watched the scene from afar, smiling at the sight of seeing his daughter so happy.

"Uncle Fred, look!" a little voice suddenly called out.

Fred did as the voice told him, turning in the direction of where the voice was coming from and finding Jacob holding up another old photo. This time the photo was of him, Henry, and Jacob sitting at the river bank, fishing poles in their hands and grins on their faces.

"Remember when we used to go fishing?" Jacob asked enthusiastically, waiting for no response. "Can we go again?"

As Jacob asked his questions, Fred's stare remained on the photo, looking at their smiling faces. His smiling face. He looked so happy… it had been a long time since he had been that happy. It had also been a pretty long time since he and Henry had spent some quality time together, whether it be going fishing or watching a ball game.

If his brother did come back, Fred decided, he would start making more time for not only his brother but his whole family too.

"Yeah, maybe," he told Jacob with a lopsided smirk.

That answer was good enough for Jacob and he grinned with excitement before heading off to show the picture to Jenny. Meanwhile, Lucille sat silently staring down at a photograph that she held in her hands. It was Maggie who noticed her state first and she wondered how long the woman had been sitting like that.

"Aunt Lucille?" she called softly, "Did you find a picture?"

Lucille smiled with shinning eyes and nodded, "I think so."

Both Jenny and Jacob crawled closer to the mother seated on the sofa; they wanted to see what the photo she had chosen looked like. When Jacob saw it, he titled his head slightly.

"Where was this taken?"

"At home," his mother answered, smiling a grin that seemed to grow as her mind recalled the memory of that day, "I think we wanted to get some film developed but still had a few pictures left on the roll so I took a few shots of Henry there on the porch just to finish up the roll," she explained. "It was taken just on an ordinary kind of day, but doesn't he look handsome?"

"He looks bald," replied Jacob.

A smile stretched further out on Lucille's lips and she shook her head at her son, "You are just trying to use that as much as you can before your dad gets back, aren't you?"

"Is that the one you wanna use, Luce?" Fred asked over Jacob's carefree giggle.

Gazing down at the photo, Lucille's smile faded just a tad. She closed her eyes then brought the tips of her fingers, on her right hand, up to her lips. She pressed them there for a moment or two before moving them back down and softly pressing them against her husband's smiling, photographed face. Her eyes fluttered open and she nodded.

"Yes," she replied and as she handed the picture to her brother-in-law she looked over his shoulder at Marty. "Will you tell him there's a pot roast waiting for him when he gets home?"

Marty could only nod.

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>__So what did you think? Like it? Not like it? Mixed feelings? Be sure to let me know in a review!_

_I wanted to quickly add in just a little something, don't know if you all caught it but in the episode of "True Believer" when Marty and Fred meet with Preacher James in his church Preacher James is actually holding a photo of Henry. I paused it and everything, it's him! And that's where the photo scene came from in this chapter!_

_Next chapter you can expect to see more recaps of the episode plus a few new scenes!_

_And seriously, if you're like me and still can't get over the season finale feel free to message me! I'd love to talk about it some more!_

_Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing!_

_**Author's Note: **__Hello everyone! How are you? Hope you're doing well! I am so sorry for taking so long to get this new chapter to you all. I got so busy with school I've had such little time to write. And I'll admit this chapter isn't the most exciting, it's part two to the last chapter which was a recap of the episode "True Believer" next chapter will be better though! It'll have more original ideas and more dialogue between the character and hopefully it'll be up a lot sooner too! Thank you all so so much for the incredible encouragement and wonderful reviews you've left on the story so far it means so very much! You all help keep the story going! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, sorry if it's not the best, next time should be better! Please if you can, leave a review with your thoughts, it would really mean a lot! Thanks once again for all your amazing support, please review if you can leave a review, hope you like and as always, please, Enjoy!_

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><p>Marty's meeting with Preacher James was even more interesting than the one Lucille had with the man. Like with Lucille's visit, Fred tagged along to not only drive Marty there but to be there for him during the encounter with the preacher—it was Fred's own form of showing his gratitude towards Marty.<p>

When they met with Preacher James, Henry's photo was handed to him by Fred. The preacher appeared to be studying the picture carefully and Marty wondered why. He wanted to ask him but there was another question he really wanted an answer to.

"Why did you tell them I could bring Henry back?" he demanded to know.

Preacher James continued to look down at the photo in his hands and plainly replied, "Because you can."

Marty wasn't sure what had upset him more, the words that were said or the way that they were said. Whichever it was, it filled him with a whole new level of infuriation. It seemed like every time Marty was anywhere near Preacher James he felt a leery feeling inside him that just didn't allow him to trust the man; however, this time it was more than just skepticism that Marty felt.

The meeting couldn't have been more than a few minutes long but in those few minutes Preacher James had sent Marty on a rollercoaster of emotions. First anger, then confusion, then came fear and a sense of power that swiftly faded into a more vulnerable emotion.

Confusion, however, was the only emotion that remained as the powwow came to an end and James directed them out of the church for the Returned, remarking that they had work to do.

It was also confusion that continued to linger and grown when Preacher James led Fred and Marty out to the mysterious field that kept appearing in Marty's dreams…visions…he wasn't sure what they were.

At the field was an open grave, they didn't know who had dug it up but Preacher James told them who it was for—him.

He explained that in order to retrieve Henry he had to go where Henry was. He had to die and he'd already decided what would be the cause of his death. Preacher James told Marty and Fred that one of them had to shoot him and both men were taken aback by the request.

Hearing this, all of Marty's suspicions had been confirmed. He wasn't really needed to help bring Henry back. Preacher James would be making that journey or whatever it was, on his own. And he needed to be shot? That was crazy, the preacher was insane.

Marty told him how he felt about the idea before refusing to have any part in it; Fred meanwhile had a different kind of reaction.

Without a second thought, Fred shot the preacher dead. Proving, that like Lucille, he was determined to do whatever it took to get his brother back.

It had been Fred who suggested they go look for them when he noticed the hour, Preacher James said it would take, had passed. Marty proposed that they split up and so they did just that. They drove back into town, keeping their eyes peeled for Preacher James or Henry, and then they split up into their own vehicles and continued their search separately.

Each on their own path, Fred and Marty looked throughout Arcadia all through the night and a good chunk of the morning. The sun of the new day had already been shinning for several hours when the two men met up and pushed on with the search together in Fred's work vehicle.

It was well into the afternoon when they finally decided to pack it in. Preacher James wasn't coming back and neither was Henry.

The news was going to devastate Lucille and neither of the men was looking forward to telling her. It was while Fred was thinking of his sister-in-law that he realized there was someone else who he needed to tell the news of Henry's death.

Fred's phone call to his mother was quick but not painless; in fact, it felt as though it was tougher for Fred to tell Margaret the news than it was for her to hear it. Still Fred, knew that his mother was greatly affected by hearing that one of her son's had died; he could tell by the way she hung up the phone so abruptly.

Part of Fred was actually grateful that she hadn't allowed him to see or hear her breakdown, he was sure that the sound would have broken him and he needed to stay strong for Lucille.

Fred hated how he'd had to break the of Henry's death to Lucille last night but now to have to do it a second time? He wasn't sure he could do it. Of course, he would. He'd do it for Lucille and for Henry.

Lucille's reaction last night had been heartbreaking on its own and Fred was sure it would be worse the second time around.

And he was right.

When Marty and Fred told Lucille what happened, how they'd been searching for hours for Henry and Preacher James but had found nothing, Lucille was confused and didn't believe them. She told them they weren't making any sense, Preacher James told them he could bring Henry back. She then insisted once more that Henry would return.

"Henry is coming back," she declared, remaining in high spirits.

"No, he's not!" Marty shouted.

As soon as Lucille looked at him and he saw the fear and pain in her eyes, Marty felt guilty for using that tone of voice. Of course, this was only a smidge of guilt compared to the extreme amount of guilt he was already feeling for agreeing to go along with Preacher James' deception and giving Lucille not only more false hope but more pain.

Scared blue eyes looked at Fred, hoping to find some kind of assurance; something that said Marty was wrong, that there was still hope. Instead Lucille fond her brother in-law somberly shaking her head back and forth.

"There's nothing we can do," Fred spoke gently, hoping—wishing—his soft voice would somehow lessen the blow of it all. "Lucille, Henry's gone."

"No," Lucille wailed a heart-rending cry.

There wasn't a lot that Fred could do to help ease Lucille's hurt but what he could do, he would do. He opened his arms and wrapped them around Lucille's shaking body. Lucille continued to weep as she tightly hugged Fred back, clutching the shoulder of his jacket so fiercely as if it had played a role in her husband's passing.

While Lucille's agonizing sobs continued to fill the house, Jacob came bounding down the stairs.

He walked straight to the front door, never saying a single word, and pulled open it open revealing Preacher James. And Henry.

The sight of Henry standing before them was a shock for everyone; expect Jacob who had quickly and gleefully told his father, "I knew you'd be back."

Watching Henry lift his son up in his arms, after having seen his lifeless body being loaded up into an ambulance, only a little over twenty four hours ago, was a lot for Marty and especially Fred to take in. There were a million and one questions running through their minds. How was this possible? Was Preacher James really behind this? Was this really Henry? Was he really okay?

Fred was so overwhelmed by it all, he had to grab onto the banister of the staircase to keep from tumbling over.

Meanwhile, Lucille had only one thought going through her head; her husband was back.

She watched the hug between father and son and continued to cry openly, out of happiness this time. She had already been blessed with the miracle of getting Jacob back and now she had Henry back as well…in that moment she felt like the luckiest woman in Missouri.

Then just when Lucille didn't think she could feel any luckier she saw Henry move Jacob into one arm, then look over at her wearing that little smirk of his and Lucille felt her heart skip a beat.

Her husband was back.

She rushed over to Henry and before he could move his arm around her she had hers wrapped tightly around him, silently vowing to never let go.

And she didn't.

As Henry was welcomed back by the others, a grin and manly pat on the shoulder from Marty and a somewhat awkward hug from Fred, Lucille kept her hold on her husband while tears silently streamed down her face.

She tried to stay as close to Henry as she could, holding onto his hand then his arm, even keeping her hand on his back. It was almost like she was afraid to break contact with him. As though she were worried that if she lost that closeness with Henry, he would suddenly disappear for good.

Once Lucille was able to compose herself, stopping her tears but keeping her grip on Henry, she invited everyone to an early dinner of Henry's favorite foods.

It was an invitation that Marty and Preacher James declined, there was a comment made about them needing to talk before they left the Langston home. Fred on the other hand, accepted the offer and even called up Maggie to invite her; but his call was answered by her voicemail and Fred figured it must have been a busy day at the clinic.

Dinner was a rather quite one. The elephant in the room was ginormous with colorful stripes but it remained ignored and avoided throughout the meal.

Fred couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that his brother didn't want to say anything about his death or his return. Lucille didn't seem to mind this, in fact she avoided the topic almost as much as Henry did—if not more so. Most of the dinner conversation came from young Jacob who eagerly filled his dad in on everything he had missed in the past day and a half.

For dessert there was cake and coffee for the adults and cake and chocolate milk for Jacob.

Soon the meal was over, not because they'd run out of food—there was plenty for the rest of the week—but because everyone was full. With every big dinner came a lot of dirty dishes and as Lucille began to gather them from the table she told her son to get ready for bed, reminding him that he had school tomorrow.

Jacob was quick to comply and after giving his father another big hug and waving at his uncle, he headed upstairs.

Wanting to show his appreciation for the home-cooked meal that she'd invited him to, Fred helped Lucille clean up the mess that the wonderful meal had created.

While Lucille filled the sink with water, Fred gathered stacks of dishes from the table and took them to her. There were so many that he had to make several trips. Fred was in the process of leaving the kitchen to retrieve some more when he pushed the swinging door open just a bit and caught the sight of his brother stepping out onto the front porch.

His brows furrowed slightly as the front door was silently shut. He figured Henry just needed some space and Fred was willing to give him that; however, before Fred left tonight he was going to make sure he would tell his brother what he'd spent the past day wishing he had said to him sooner.

Lucille had washed no more than two of the food-smeared dishes when she suddenly stopped and decided that they could wait until morning. There were more important things to do than cleaning some dirty dishes. She explained to Fred that she was going upstairs to tuck Jacob in and Fred took that as his cue to say goodnight and head home—of course, not before talking to Henry.

Minutes later, Lucille appeared to have caught the end of the Langston Brothers' talk because by the time she had finished with Jacob and peeked out through the front door's window she saw Fred already off the porch and climbing into his vehicle.

Quietly she opened the door and stepped onto the front porch and into the night air which was much colder than she thought it would be. She pulled her light sweater closer around her as she walked towards her husband.

"Hey," she greeted looking up at him with concern. She had also noticed how distant he was at dinner, "You okay?

Henry didn't look at her, his eyes scanned around nervously as he looked at everything but her. "Was it all a dream?"

Lucille sighed, to her the past few days had felt like a nightmare. "Which part?"

Finally Henry looked at her and she could see the confusion and worry in his eyes.

"Us. Jacob." He paused once more, "All of it."

Lucille stared up at her husband, staring into his blue eyes that seemed to be searching hers. She could tell he was desperate for an answer, for something to make him feel better. She felt bad that she couldn't give him an exact answer but she didn't have one. All she could do was tell him how she felt about it, but maybe that would be enough to make him feel just a little bit of comfort.

"Honey, I don't care," she told him with a light southern accent.

A grin broke onto Henry's face as he let out a chuckle, it was a sound that warmed Lucille's heart and had her smiling her own smile as she reached her hand out to touch her cheek. Then she did something she didn't think she'd be able to do again, something she had been wanting to do since he walked through the threshold.

She kissed him.

The moment that Lucille's lips touched his she felt it. That same magical, blissful, nearly indescribable feeling of love that always she felt whenever she kissed her husband. She now knew once and for all, Henry was back.

Her Henry was back.

Still relishing in the feeling of the spark that she never thought she would feel again, Lucille pulled out of the kiss and slowly opened her eyes. Her lips curved into a sensuous smile and she gazed at her husband with a look in her eyes that she saved just for him, before she took his hand in hers and led him into their home.

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>__So what did you think? Yay? Nay? A little of both? Hope it wasn't too bad! Be sure to let me know in a review!_

_So I was recently reading some reviews of the episode True Believer and some viewers picked up some interesting things. And one of the things discussed in a review was whether it was really Preacher James who brought Henry back or was it someone else? Was it maybe Marty when he started to believe in Preacher James? Was it maybe Lucille who never gave up hope that Henry would be back—the episode was called "True Believer" and it looked like Lucille was the true believer in that episode. _

_I had pretty much assumed it was Preacher James, but since I love Henry/Lucille I think it's sweet to think that maybe Lucille's faith and hope did somewhat help bring Henry back. I'm a romantic, I know lol What do you all think?_

_Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!_


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